Hand-operated signal.



E. AUFIERO.

HAND OPERATED SIGNAL. APVPLICATION FILED MAYHI, 1912. RENEWED APR. 13. 1916.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

EMANUEL AUFIERQDF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HAND-OPERATED SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 11cc. 123., 19%.

Application filed May 31, 1912, Serial No. 700,675. Renewed April 13, 1916. Serial No. 90,374.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, EMANUEL Anrinno, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in l'land-Operated Signals, of which the following is a complete specification. I

My invention relates to automobile horns in which the sound is generated by a rapidly vibrating acoustic diaphragm, and has for its object the construction of an improved device of this class, easy to operate and always reliable and effective.

It is found in practice that the place to properly secure the horn to the automobile is always far away from the drivers seat, and one embodiment of my invention comprises eflicient and inexpensive means which allow to secure the horn at its most convenient place and easy operation from a distant point.

l find it very desirable to provide means whereby the relative engagement of the diaphragm and diaphragm actuating elements may be automatically regulated, by applying the pull of a Bowden wire at an angle to the shaft carrying the actuating elements, this angular pull tending to always press said actuating elements against the diaphragm wear piece. The device commonly known as the Bowden wire consists of a. flexible core of unvariablc length, adapted to be reciprocated within a flexible sheathing or cable also of unvariable length, the latter preferably having one or both of its ends secured in fixed position. lhis device is particularly adapted for imparting a pulling movement.

One embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a partly sectional view of the horn showing such Bowden wire mechanism in operation; Fig. 2 shows a top view of a beveled diaphragm.actuating member and shape of wear piece; Fig. 3 shows another form of applying the power of the Bowden wire to actuate the operating shaft by means of a ratchet and pawl mechanism.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the different views.

An acoustic diaphragm 5 is clamped between front casing 6 and frame 4, which carries two arms 7 and 8 providing bearing surfaces for the shaft 9. An angular beveled wear piece 11 is secured to the diaphragmand in operative engagement with said wear piece is provided a beveled disk 10 fastened to shaft 9 and presenting cuinteeth to constitute a cam-rotor. it will be understood that rapid rotation of said hey eled cam will produce acoustic vibrations of the diaphragm, and that upward movement of the shaft 9 against wear piece 11, will provide the relative engagement of the beveled cam and wear piece for effecting the required amplitude of diaphragm vibrations; said upward movement of shaft 9 being effected by the Bowden wire acting at an angle, as shown in thedrawing, to the axis of said shaft.

To frame t is secured one end of a coil spring 12, the other end of which operates a flexible steel band 1&1 coiled around the shaft 9; said steel band is fastened with the other end to the terminal of the Eowden wire 13, repeated pulling of which will set the shaft 9 rotating in one direction, and then in the other direction by means of the coiledspring 12 acting in the opposite direction of'the Bowden wire. I find it very desirable that the powerto the rotary shaft should be applied thereto by fraction of the elastic steel band 1 1 coiled there around, and I find in practice that this method of applying the power to the operating shaft increases the efficiency of the sound omitted. The Bowden wire 13 is operated in the usual way by means of a reciprocating lever 17 carried by frame 16. The teeth of the cam operating the diaphragm are rounded at the tips, as shown in Fig. 2; I have found that this shape in practice will save frictional difficulties and will permit rotation. of the cam. in both directions. When one direction of rotation is desired, I provide a ratchet 19, as shown in Fig. 3, secured rigidly to shaft 9, and a pawl 20 adapted to engage said ratchet: said pawl is carried by a sleeve 21 loosely fitted on shaft 9; a spirally arranged flat spring 22 with one end fastened to said sleeve and the other end secured to support 7 will rotate said sleeve 21 to pull on the Bowden wire 13 one end of which is fastened to the sleeve. It is understood that a pull of the Bowden wire willrotate the shaft in one direction by means of the pawl 20 engaging the ratchet 19, and soon as the -Bowden wire is released, spring 21 will return the sleeve to its former position. By increasing the weight of the cam 10 with a lead member 18, in: other suitable means, the momentumgiven to said cam by the initial pull of'thze Cir .Bowden wire will keep it rotating, while the spring 22 willreturn the sleeve 21 to normal position, ready ,for a new pull from the Bowden wir. v

' The spirally-arranged spring 22, shown "in'Fig; 3, is contracted and expanded within its own lane, and has the advantage of its suscepti ility of being wound. up to a ylfli-fo'lutions imparted to the spool 21, so as to produce a plurality of revolutions of the shaft and rotor 'for each pull upon the membenl. On the other hand, the helical spring( 12 of Fig. 1 is expanded and contracted in a longitudinal direction only, and necessarily has a more limited amount oftrav'el thanspring' 22, and cannot impart as many revolutions to its shaft 9; and, in

like manner,.a helical spring that is ated by; being twisted more tightl around its'axis (as the. spring B of the Giantland Patent 'No. 461,241) has only a limited range, and cannot impart to its shaft the same plurality of revolutions possible by the splrally-arranged s ring22 of my Fig.3. I find it very desira le that the diameter ofqthe operating cam 10 should be about one half of the diameter of the vibrating diaphragm'; this in practice will produce a cer-' .30 tain amount of levera e between shaft9 and wear piece 11 that wig facilitate the production of a sharp and abrupt sound without intentional quick pull of the Bowden wire. I An elastic diaphragm of a given diameter possesses certain definite amplitudes of vibration at definite frequencies before reaching its elasticlimit; that is, a diaphragm having a vibrating surface of 5 inches in diameter, and having a thickness of about [.020 of an inch, will have a natural amplitude of vibration of about 3 5 of an inch, when vibrated. at a frequency of 10000 vibrations per minute and if the same diaphragm is vibrated at a frequencv of 20000 vibrations per minute, it will have a natural amplitude of swing, in its to and fro move.- ments, of about of an inch. The kinetic energy available at the periphery of. the cam,-"'employed by me, increases as to the .squareof the radius of the cam, the thick-- ness'remaining the same; so that it is possible to use low speed means actuated by the operator for driving the ratchet at the proper velocit 3 and when said means are of the no npos1t1ve type, as the frictional engagement employed by me, I find that betterresults are attained with such low speedactuating means. d

It will'be understood that my invention includes as one of its distinctive features the utilization of a large diameter of weighted rotarydiaphragm-actuating member, the speed of which'mcreases directly asits ravery substantial extent by a plurality of revdius, in getting the desired velocity, Without expensive and inconvenient high speed means. I H

It will be understood by those skilled in the art, that various modifications and changes may be resorted to without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a sound-emitting apparatus, the combination of an acoustic diaphragm, a rotary diaphragm-actuating device mounted to be. movable into and out of close operative relationwith said diaphragm, and a flexible member secured yieldingly at one, end and passing around the shaft of said rotary dcpulling upon said v1ce in such manner that member forces said rotary device 1nto and rotates it in close operative relation with said diaphragm.

2'. In a sound-emitting apparatus, the combination of an acoustic diaphragm, a rotary diaphragm-actuating device mounted to be movable into and out of close operative relation with said diaphragm, and mechanism for rotating said rotary device in one direction and simultaneously moving it into and holding it in close operative relation with said diaphragm and alternately rotating it in the opposlte direction and simultaneously moving it out of and holding it out of close relation therewith.

3. A sound-emitting apparatus comprising the combination of a diaphragm having a stud projecting therefrom, a frame at the .rearofsaid diaphragm, a shaft'journaled in said frame'parallel with the face of said diaphragm, a cam carried by said shaft and having teeth adapted to act upon said projection, a spring secured to said frame, and a flexible member secured at its inner end to said spring and passing around said shaft, a casing secured to said diaphragm and inclosing the frame and other parts aforesaid, and a pulling-member secured to the outer end of said flexible-member and passing through the rearof said casing.

4. A sound-emitting signal-device, comprising the combination of a vibratory acoustic diaphragm, a rotary shaft, and a cam rigidly carried thereby for vibrating said diaphragm, a contraction spring secured at one end adjacent said diaphragm, a handle operable by the attendant, and a flexible member comprising a Bowden-wire connected to the free end of said spring and to said handle respectively and frictionally engaging said shaft, whereby movement of said handle and the reaction of said spring rotate said cam backward and forward.

' EMANUEL AUFIERO.

Witnesses MICHAEL A. AUFIERO, ISAAC BROWN. 

